Horror parody highlights the funny
parts when the end of the world arrives

by CHRISTIAN PALMERThe Daily Cougar

With the release of Hot Fuzz this weekend, it seems
only fitting to take a look at underground hit Shaun of the Dead from 2004,
as it also comes from Britons Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright.

Shaun of the Dead, a loose parody of cult classic
Dawn of the Dead, highlights the shaky relationship between lovable loser
Shaun, his girlfriend Liz and their friends amid zombies. The best part
of the whole thing is first the first half of the movie: None of the characters
seem to even take notice of people around them becoming undead. They actually
mistake the first one they really encounter for a drunk.

George Romero's Dawn was able to frighten (and amuse)
while exploring themes: mass consumerism, turmoil and emptiness of 1970s
America.

Aside from making viewers laugh to death, Shaun of
the Dead has its own way of making them think as well. In the movie, six
months after what the media call "Z-Day," journalists declare the zombies,
who maintain their primal instincts as ideal employment candidates for
the customer services industry. This is an appropriate kind of ending for
a movie that opens with images of lifeless people ? cashiers, children,
commuters and hipsters ? making their way through a theretofore uneventful
day.

In fact, Shaun is kind of a zombie in his own right,
as several shots in the film indicate quite well. He is lazy, unambitious
and not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed ? a condition that plagues
the society of today and is particularly prevalent among the youth and
Generation X. He, like many of his peers on both sides of the pond, just
didn't quite have it all figured out just yet.

The inherent greatness of Shaun of the Dead, though,
lies in the not-necessarily-zombie-related humor. Pegg and Wright's silliness
and exaggerated gestures paired with the panicky camera shots and dialogue
add to whatever potential hilarity zombies bring to the party. Throughout,
Shaun and the gang make the weirdest jokes (not always intentionally) considering
their situation. For example, it's just strange to hear Shaun's mum attribute
the characteristic of "bitey" to the undead. The deadpan and over-the-top
qualities of British humor are not lost in translation.

However, while there is plenty of humor and absurdity
to go around, blood and gore is not entirely lacking. It's not really the
primary focus, but it is certainly there, though often in the background.

Taking such a serious topic as death and making it
laugh out loud funny is no easy feat. The fact of the matter is Shaun of
the Dead, like its inspiration, makes horror an acceptable and even cerebral
genre. It is films like these that really understand what is horrible and
terrifying in life. A lifeless and hopeless society will always trump some
white chick being mindlessly slain in creative ways. Shaun reminds us that
sometimes we just need to laugh ? especially in truly terrible times.